I’m not a competitor. Unless I’m with the fellas and the finish line is the bar. Something about being told where to turn my skis, or how to catch a Frisbee or how hard to ride my bike has always grated against me. The sports I love are not inherently competitive. They are not games. They are pursuits. Lifestyles even. If you play, you win.

But somehow I found myself sporting my first ever numbered race bib last weekend. Read more…

First, Utah knee-dipper and incredibly rowdy ripper EJ Poplawski had his right leg amputated above the knee following a horrific crash in the finals of last monthÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s Extreme Freeskiing Telemark Championships at Crested Butte. A fund helping Poplawski with mounting medical bills can be found at www.telemarktips.com.

Then the king of big mountain skiing Doug Coombs takes the rarest of tumbles while trying to help fallen friend Chad VanderHam in the French Alps. Both die.